I remember sailing a Sunfish years ago. I was running downwind and caught a wave with the bow just right. Instead of going up and over, the bow went down and under. And down. And down.

Idiot me doesn't let go of the sheet, and we keep going down. Got the bow about three, four feet underwater before the pressure on everything slowed me down enough for the bow to pop up.

I guess I was wondering how far I could convert my Sunfish into a submarine. And if a Sunfish had enough sail and speed, I probably would have pitchpoled it.

It was a known risk of square riggers that you could sail the bow right under in the right wind and wave combination. We've now got monohulls going so fast and with enough sail that you can do a ptichpole. We can spread the excitement around these days.

This is my quickest/hardest pitchpole to date.. I had one other that may have beat it, but it doesn't count because there isn't video.

We had went to the south side of the lake in a very gusty south wind to look for flatter water.. This is a new guy on the trapeze and he was having trouble in the rough water further north.. and yeah.. This side of the lake will get you every time..

It was Todd, we never pitchpoled. We break rudders, trap upsidedown and try to drown, screamed at big boats on SF going the wrong way around our marks, sailed with spreaders on backward (and won), but we never pitchpoled. Also, you never let me sheet the main, too much risk...